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Thursday, 28 July 2016

Garlic Pesto, Tomato and Courgette Pizzettes

Back off my holidays and afresh with new ideas, I couldn't wait to get back into the kitchen! On my travels I re-discovered how delicious freshly baked bread can be. Plain and simple, with no additions, just with a dip of good quality extra-virgin olive oil and some sea salt flakes. I'd forgotten how good it can taste and with this in the back of my mind, it inspired me to make these vibrant, gorgeous pizzettes.

Using equally good quality fresh ingredients of piccolo tomatoes, garlic, pesto, courgette and rocket is all you need with this recipe.... a perfect lunch to beat those post-holiday blues.

They taste just as delicious hot or cold and even though it makes 8 which may seem a lot, they are supposed to be smaller than your average pizza, hence the cute name - pizzette, so trust me on this one because with these on your kitchen worktop, you won't be able to help yourself but nibble on them all day long (like I did!)

The dough is effortless too, which for me is just what I tend to go for when choosing a bread recipe. Because who has the time these days to keep going back and to? Proving, knocking back, shaping, re-proving...it can often go on and on! I do have to admit though, I love kneading dough, yet, there is a time and place for it. It just so happens to be that stirring together the dough until it forms a ball is actually the best thing for a flatbread, meaning no need for a knead (sorry).

Garlic Pesto, Tomato and Rocket Pizzettes

Ingredients

For the dough:

100g wholemeal (whole-wheat) plain flour

200g strong white bread flour

¾ tsp salt

1 tsp fast-action dried yeast

For the topping:

3 garlic cloves, peeled and minced

1 ½ tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

2 tbsp basil pesto

¼ courgette

10 piccolo tomatoes

salt and pepper

½ tsp balsamic vinegar

handful of rocket

Method

The dough will need to be made 2 hours in advance so it has time to rise before putting the toppings on. To make the dough place both flours in a large bowl and stir to combine. Add in the salt and yeast and then 225 ml of lukewarm water. Stir until it forms a ball and no floury patches remain. Cover the bowl with plastic cling film and leave to rise in a warm place for a minimum of 2 hours,

To prepare the toppings, mix the garlic with olive oil and pesto in a small bowl. Grate the courgette into small strips or use a spiralizer to create short strands. Slice the tomatoes into quarters. Season the courgette and tomatoes with salt and pepper and drizzle over the balsamic vinegar.

Once the dough has finished rising, preheat a large ovenproof, non-stick frying pan over a high heat. Preheat the grill to its highest setting. Form the dough into 8 balls, you may need to dust your hands and the work surface with flour. Flatten each ball into roughly 12.5cm (5-inch) diameter circles with your hands.

Place 2 circles of the dough into the preheated frying pan. Brush them quickly with the garlic pesto mixture and top with some of the tomatoes, courgette and rocket leaves. Cook for about 3 minutes, the underside will be browned but make sure they don't blacken underneath by carefully lifting the sides with a fish slice to check. Then place under the hot grill for another few minutes or until puffed up and golden and the rocket has wilted. Remove the pizzettes from the pan and keep them warm whilst you repeat the process with the other 6.